Tag Archive: wells

“Triduana’s themes are banishing, health and protection. Her symbols are water and oak. In Scotland, this Goddess rules over sacred water sources, from which She selflessly gives Her elixir to all who ask in humility. Many of Her wells are said to dwell beneath oak trees, ancient symbols of protection and well-being.

Since the 1800’s, people have been coming to Loch mo Naire around this time of year to heal their body, mind or spirit. People sip a bit of the water and bathe in it three times, giving an offering of silver coins to the generous water spirit there. For us this means drinking eight glasses of water today, as is often recommended by physicians for improved health. This helps flush our toxins and draws Triduana’s healing energy into our bodies.

Another custom easily followed is that of taking off one’s clothes and walking backward to banish sickness. Both of these actions symbolize a turning away or a change. If possible, choose clothing you don’t need anymore, take it off, throw it out, then walk backward to a place where you can put on fresh clothing and don Triduana’s blessings!

Interestingly enough oak leaves have long been considered excellent health charms. If you can catch one before it touches the earth, you ensure yourself of Triduana’s protection and a month without colds.”

(Patricia Telesco, “365 Goddess: a daily guide to the magic and inspiration of the goddess”.)

“Brigid – Guiding back to the Light” by Wendy Andrew

Patricia Monaghan tells us that Triduana is “a Scottish name for Brigid from the Edinburgh area…Triduana’s sacred pace was a well beneath a Druidic oak” (p. 298).

“According to the 16th-century Aberdeen Breviary, Triduana was born in the Greek city of Colosse, and travelled from Constantinople with Saint Rule, who brought the bones of Saint Andrew to Scotland in the 4th century AD. A pious woman, she settled at Rescobie near Forfar in Angus, but her beauty attracted the attentions of a King of the Picts named Nectan. To stall these unwanted attentions, Triduana tore out her own eyes and gave them to Nechtan. Afterwards, she was associated with curing eye disorders. She spent her later years in Restalrig, Lothian, and healed the blind who came to her. She was buried at Restalrig when she died.

The 17th-century Acta Sanctorum records a story of a blind English woman miraculously cured by Triduana. The saint appears to her in a dream, and instructs her to travel to Restalrig. She does so, and regains her sight at Triduana’s tomb. The woman’s daughter is later cured of blindness after praying to Triduana.

In the 12th century, the Norse Earl of OrkneyHarald Maddadsson punished bishop John of Caithness by having him blinded. According to the 13th-century Orkneyinga Saga, John prayed to ‘Trøllhaena’, and later regained his sight when brought to her ‘resting place’, possibly referring to a local northern shrine rather than Restalrig.

The principal centre of devotion to Triduana was at Restalrig, now part of Edinburgh, where the parish church is dedicated to her. The 15th-century St Triduana’s Aisle often flooded in the past, and was though to be a holy well, known as St Triduana’s Well. The aisle was heavily restored by the architect Thomas Ross in 1907. Other dedications to Triduana include chapels at Ballachly (Caithness), Loth (Sutherland), and on Papa Westray in Orkney.” [1]

Sources:

Monaghan, Patricia. The New Book of Goddesses and Heroines, “Triduana”.

“Coventina’s themes are wishes, water, purity, and innocence. Her symbol is water. This British/Celtic Goddess of sacred water sources flows with the Blajini (water spirits) to enrich our life with clarity and virtue and to answer our heart’s desires. In works of art She is depicted as a water nymph floating on a leaf while holding vessels teaming with water. Customary offerings to encourage Conventina’s favor include pins, votives, coins and semiprecious stones.

In Romania, water spirits are called Blajini, or ‘gentle ones’, because they kindly reward people who give them an offering (much like wishing wells in Europe). These are citizens of the Conventina’s fairy realm, whose motivations are pure and guileless. To keep the Blajini happy and encourage Conventina’s sanction, present a special offering to them while whispering your hopes and dreams. Go to any fountain (perhaps one at the mall) and toss in a coin. The Blajini will bear the coin and the wish to Conventina for manifestation.

For personal clarity or to inspire principled actions in a situation in which you might be tempted to be a proverbial ‘bad witch’, start the day off with a glass of water. Recite this incantation over it before drinking:

“Coventina is associated with healing, renewal, abundance, new beginnings, life cycles, inspiration, childbirth, wishes and prophecy. In worship to Her, coins and other objects were tossed into the wells as offerings for sympathetic magick. These wells represent the earth womb, where the Celts felt Her power could be most strongly felt. Her symbols are the cauldron, cup, water, coins, broaches and wells. The moon that corresponds to Her is the Reed Moon and Her aspect is divination. A lot of the information on Her has been lost, even so it known that She was looked upon as the queen of the river Goddesses. From Scotland comes Her association with the Underworld, where She was the Goddess of featherless flying creatures which could pass to the Otherworld. Being a river Goddess She is connected the ebb and flow of time.” [2]

"Carrawbrough: Coventina's Well" Bas-relief of triple Coventina.

“Coventina is depicted as a nymph and invoked as a triple Goddess. The possible invocation of Coventina as a triple mother Goddess is interesting, given the offerings found in the well dedicated to Her. The votive pins strongly suggest a fertility cult and association with childbirth, as does the bronze horse, a distinct fertility symbol. The dog is associated with the Greco-Roman physician Aesculapius in classical mythology, though in Celtic mythology it is also linked to human lifespans; strongly suggesting a healing aspect to the Goddess’ cult; which is also a function of the spring itself. Thus fecundity and healing are suggested by the votive offerings though She is obviously predominantly a water deity. The presence of bronze heads and head plaques, as well as face pots, one of which protrays an elegant female face (possibly the Goddess herself?) as well as the human skull suggests that the cult of the head may have been prevalent at Coventina’s shrine. However, the human skull may be a red herring, part of the shrine’s desecration during the Christian era. Though the dedication of heads and head representations to watery shrines is a well-attested practice which may also have been conducted at this shrine.” [3]

For more information on Conventina, please visit Coventina – a website devoted to the Goddess Coventina. Here you’ll find everything you need to know about this Romano-Celtic water Goddess, including Her history, Her myth, images of Her in ancient and contemporary art, all about the archaeological site associated with Her, and a little bit about Her significance in modern spirituality.

Networked Blogs

Pagan Blog Hop

Spiritual Nomad

Be a Shame-free Blogger!

RAINN

RAINN: The nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization. One of "America's 100 Best Charities" - Worth magazine

Wipeout Homophobia on Facebook

NEVER confuse HATE speech with free speech - HATE SPEECH KILLS!

Stop Bullying

StopBullying.gov provides information from various government agencies on how kids, teens, young adults, parents, educators and others in the community can prevent or stop bullying. If you or someone you know is being bullied, get help.

A personal journal to share my artistic works, to write about Norse shamanism and traditional paganism, European History, Archaeology, Runes, Working with the Gods and my personal experiences in Norse shamanic practices.